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An
Outline for Assessment Plans
By Marilee J. Bresciani, Ph.D.
Whether
you are writing assessment plans or reporting assessment results
for the purposes of accountability or for continuous improvement,
an outline can help you get organized and ensure your inclusion
of the most important assessment elements. The following is an outline
developed based on the writings and work of Palomba, C.A., Banta,
T.W., Gordon, V.A., Habley, W.R., Helm, K., Upcraft, M.L., Schuh,
J.H., Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and the NC State
University Committee on Undergraduate Academic Program Review.
Examples
of various higher education departments using this outline can be
found at http://www.ncsu.edu/undergrad_affairs/assessment/files/projects/projects.htm.
- Department
or Program Mission: state your department or program mission
- Department
or Program Goals or Objectives: generally describe what the department
intends to accomplish; explain how the department's goals/objectives
relate to the Division's mission and the department's mission;
and illustrate the purposes for assessment
- Learning
Outcomes: specifically describe what the program must do; express
what students, faculty and staff must know and do. These learning
outcomes must be measurable and meaningful. Incorporate appropriate
program standards, such as the Council for the Advancement of
Standards in Higher Education (CAS), where applicable. Incorporate
appropriate accreditation standards, where applicable. It may
be helpful to divide the outcomes into categories, as applicable,
such as:
- Intended
Program Outcomes
- Intended
Process Outcomes
- Intended
Student Learning Outcomes
- Intended
Student Development Outcomes
- Intended
Faculty Development Outcomes
- Intended
Staff Development Outcomes
- Evaluation
Methods: Indicate how you will determine how the learning outcomes
have been met. Specify what you are looking for and how you will
find it. It may be helpful to separate this section into the following
categories BY the specific outcomes. Include the following elements
when discussing the evaluation method for each outcome.
- Target
Audience
- Data
Collection
- Tools
Used
- Data
Analysis
- Implementation
of Assessment: Describe who will be doing what and when they will
be doing it. For example, who is responsible for data collection,
analysis of data, writing the results, reporting them, and making
decision on results and in what time frame? This is also an opportunity
to list your resource or research limitations, if there are any.
- Who
Is Responsible for What?
- Time
Line: this time-line should demonstrate the commitment to continuous
assessment. What part of your assessment plan is done every
semester, every year? What parts are bi-annual, etc?
- Results:
What did the results of your assessment show? What did you learn
about the outcomes you stated in section III? What was your assessment
plan not able to tell you?
- Decisions
and Recommendations: Based on your results, what decisions were
made about program, planning, policy and your assessment plan?
What was changed? What was kept?
- Program
- Planning
- Budgeting
- Policy
- Assessment
References
Helm,
K. (2001). Minutes from the Committee on Undergraduate Academic
Program Review, North Carolina State University. http://www.ncsu.edu/provost/governance/Ad_hoc/CUPR/
North
Carolina State University Council on Undergraduate Program Review.
(2001). Guidelines for undergraduate academic program review. http://www.ncsu.edu/provost/governance/Ad_hoc/CUPR/
Palomba,
C.A. & Banta, T.W. (1999). Assessment essentials: Planning,
implementing, and improving assessment in higher education. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools. (2000). Guidelines for accreditation.
http://www.sacscoc.org/
Upcraft,
M.L. and Schuh, J.H. (1996). Assessment in student affairs: A guide
for practitioners. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
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